Photographs surface of young soldier being punished by GDF for going AWOL – 24th Dec 2012

The Guyana Defence Force is coming under fire once again after photographs surfaced of a young soldier made to sleep on the concrete floor of the GDF’s lock ups after he was absent without leave. The young man who turned himself in according to close friends has complained about being beaten and brutalized while in custody. He was placed in the army’s lock ups for over 30 days and made to remain there in inhumane conditions as a way of punishing him for going AWOL.

The Guyana Defence Force has a strict policy for dealing with soldiers who go absent without leave and the army has not said anything since the photographs were released. A senior army official said the matter and complaint by the young soldier are being investigated.